


Finnish American Nathan Wuornos

by Nocticola



Series: Finnish [3]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Finnish American, Gen, Nathan is very Finnish, Nathan's backstory, Post Episode:s02e01 A Tale of Two Audreys, Pre-Canon, as is Garland, confused about Wuornos? let me explain, ethnic holidays, post 1x1 welcome to haven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 00:45:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10605789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola
Summary: This is a translation/adaptation of my Finnish language fics about, well, Finnish American Nathan Wuornos. The main fic is a heritage discovery fic and the second one is an additional moment dealing with a Finnish American holiday St. Urho's Day.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iamgwenslongroadhome (badcanon)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badcanon/gifts).
  * A translation of [Amerikansuomalainen Nathan Wuornos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9399080) by [Nocticola](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola). 
  * A translation of [Pyhän Urhon Päivä(St. Urho's Day)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10328771) by [Nocticola](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola). 



> I call this an adaptation because it's more of an English language rewrite because writing a fic that gets 20ish hits in a language of 5mil people is different than writing a fic in the actual language of the fandom. There's also stuff that I thought to add after I wrote the originals, and then there is a different audience issue. 
> 
> As I mentioned in the original work, I am not Finnish American but just a Finn, so I am not writing from that experience. I've never even been to America, but I have read a lot of FinAm stuff, some of what I'm adding here.

Nathan Wuornos is 14 years old when Aileen Wuornos is caught for the murders of 7 men. Nathan hasn't really thought about his last name or his heritage before this, but suddenly everyone at school is interested to know whether Aileen is his relative. One night, he asks Garland about it at dinner.  
"Probably. There are not that many Wuornoses around."  
"Where is that name from, anyway?"  
"Finland. It's Finnish."  
"Finnish? Where is Finland?"  
"It's in Northern Europe. There's an atlas at the bookshelf, you're free to look up more info if you want, mister. Finish your dinner."  
Later that night, Nathan does just that. There isn't that much information, but he finds the country interesting. All the lakes and forests and parse population. It seems like a nice place to live. This settles his curiosity for some time. At least now he has something to tell his schoolmates about where 'Wuornos' comes from. 

***

Nathan doesn't think his heritage that often. The Wuornoses have been in Haven so long that their name is not at all unusual there. Things change once Nathan goes to college. Suddenly no one knows how to pronounce his name ["war-hourse?" "wor-nose?" wu-or-nos] or spell it ["W-U-O-R-N-O-S, 'uo', not 'ou'"]. It hasn't been that long since Aileen Wuornos, so he gets some comments about her ["Is she your cousin or something?"]. When he tells people his name is Finnish, people are very unknowledgeable about it ["Finland? Where is Finland? Is it Scandinavian? Is it part of Russia?"]. Nathan still does not know much about Finland and neither do his classmates, and he finds that frustrating.

Luckily at college he has more opportunities to find out. During the beginning of his studies, before everything will get too hectic, he spends time at the library and rudimentary internet trying to find some information, either about Finland or his name. Nathan manages to find some more general information about Finland. Then he starts looking for information about Finnish migration to America. He finds the information interesting even though there isn't much. He's delighted to find some centers that promote Finnish Americanness, there's even one in Maine, and he thinks about visiting one, some day. Even though the information isn't much and it doesn't directly connect to him, it does make him feel slightly more connected to... something. Garland is the only family he has, and that is not an easy relationship.

***  
One day Nathan stumbles on some kind of name book. He's curious to see if Wuornos has made it into it. Apparently it's sometimes spelled Vuornos, and most likely originates in Northern Finland. It resembles the Finnish word for 'mountain', _vuori _.__

This concrete fact reignites Nathan's interest towards his heritage, so he finds more information about the Maine Finnish American Center. Turns out, they arrange a get-together every third weekend in April. So during his first year of college, Nathan makes the trip from Orono to West Paris to the Finnish American Heritage Center. Many of the people at the event are either kids or much older than him, but he gets a nice reception there. There are no other Wuornoses, or people who know of others, but he feels a connection with these people nonetheless. It's a connection he has been missing for a long time.  
***  


Sometimes Nathan wonders whether to mention to Garland about his search for his heritage. He decides against it. But he can't help but wonder about his mother. Elizabeth Wuornos died when Nathan was 12, before he had any reason to look into his heritage. He never asked about her maiden name or where her family was from. He wonders if he could ask Garland. He doesn't know whether Garland knows her heritage either. But that is not why Nathan decides to not ask Garland about any of this when he is visiting Haven again during the holidays of his second year at college. Nathan is known to have a hard time opening up but he is nothing compared to Garland. There are so many things they just do not talk about, and Nathan's mother made it to that list practically right after her funeral. He has to spend some time in Haven and he doesn't really have anywhere else to go in case the discussion with Garland would turn bad. So he doesn't ask Garland anything relating to family, and they have a semi peaceful, Wuornos type Christmas and New Year's. 

***  


During the Spring of his second year at college Nathan does another trip to West Paris. When he had first visited the previous April, he found out about St. Urho's Day. It's a Finnish American myth, telling of a saint literally called brave who saved Finland's wineries from locusts. Really it's an excuse for Finnish Americans to have an extra drinking day before St. Patrick's Day, on March 16th. Nathan's not quite sure the party is really his type of thing, but he likes the connection and wants to enjoy it as long as he can. 

This time the FAHC has a lot more people and some of them are even Nathan's age. There's plenty of food and drink around, and Nathan wonders how many of them are there for the booze instead of using the opportunity to connect with their roots. He remembers some of the people from his previous visit, and more oddly, some people seem to remember him fondly. It has always been difficult for Nathan to make friends and he wasn't sure he had made much of an impression during the first visit. He loves seeing how the kids have grown in the meantime and some of them eagerly hug and talk to him. Sometimes the kids even throw random Finnish words in the mix. He himself knows no Finnish, except the few first he was taught during his previous visit. Unfortunately, he's pretty sure he's already forgotten how to correctly pronounce 'sauna' [sau-na, not 'sowna'], 'sisu' and 'perkele'. 

He might not know much Finnish, but swearwords are always recognizable and the guys his age have no problem using Finnish ones interchangeably with English ones, even though the adults worry that the kids are given a bad example. Because the holiday is based on St. Patrick's Day, the decorations are very green, and Nathan dressed up similarly. There are also more Finnish food and products than last time. The last time he managed to talk his way out of trying salmiakki, salty licorice, but this time he can't escape it. A particularly adorably little Suvi gave him some and he couldn't refuse. While almost everyone eats them like, well, candy, they all get a hardy laugh at Nathan's expense. It really is an acquired taste. He also has the opportunity to try Finnish style pancakes. Taste wise they are largely the same as American ones, but they are baked in the oven on a pan and usually they're shaped like small squares and enjoyed with berry jams instead of syrup. He gets quite taken with them and asks for a recipe. He ends up trying to do them a few times during his college years, but he loses the recipe during the move back to Haven. 

He ends up also buying a little St. Urho bubblehead and small Finnish flag pin. He declines the opportunity to go to sauna. That requires way more build up for him. 

*** 

During the evening, after families have gone, Nathan tries to get to know some of the people in his age group a bit better. He tries some of the Finnish beer, their taste is adequate but they do their job. Many of the people there have a more active relationship with their heritage and over the course of the evening Nathan learns lots of great new curse words. Although he quite can't get his 'r' to roll the way it should, but he promises to work on that for next time. 

There are surprisingly many women who come up to talk to Nathan. He suspects it's more about him being new than anything else. The women are interesting though and he thinks he really made at least a few new friends out of them. He didn't embarrass himself too badly with any of them, which Nathan takes as a victory. However, at the end of the evening one of them, Anni, tries to kiss him in order to make someone else jealous which makes it clear to Nathan that it's time for him to go. He has a reservation at a small hotel. He says his goodbyes to everyone and when one of the old ladies gives him a warm hug, it makes Nathan feel himself at home and he promises to come back next year. ***  


And he does. He likes the connection he's created to his heritage, so during his college years he goes to West Paris for St. Urho's Day. But after he graduates from UMaine and returns to Haven to become a cop, to connect with his father, The Chief, he stops going. But he has his memories which make him happy. He especially always remembers on March 16th. 

****  


In order to celebrate solving their case, Nathan wants to invite Audrey for a beer or two. Anything to fix her impression of him after the awkwardness created by their talk of parental issues. Audrey's probably leaving in the morning and Nathan wants, no, needs to give her a better image of Haven than the one she's gotten. She's too perceptive of the weirdness they have going on. That he has going on. 

"Are you sure you want to go out drinking with that package on your arm?" "I'm used to it." Great, Wuornos, way to sound more of a freak. "I can manage. There's a place that's not far." "Fine by me, you're the local." 

**** 

Audrey doesn't mention to Nathan she's thinking of staying in Haven for a bit, researching that Colorado Kid picture. But she's not one to turn down a beer or two. Nathan seems like a straightforward type of guy, so she's fine going with him. But there is something she's wondering about, and her starting her third beer makes her more likely to just ask him, to sate her curiosity. 

“Do you two do that a lot?” 

Nathan is clearly confused. “ Who’s ‘we’ and ‘what’ is it that we’re doing?” 

“That whole routine of ‘This is Chief Wuornos’ and ‘by the way, I am also Wuornos’, ‘we’re related but why disclose that immediately’ thing.” She’s trying to do impressions of the Wuornos men, doing a terrible job of it but it’s still amusing. 

Nathan gives a brief laugh. “It can be a fun routine. But really, there wasn’t really a proper opportunity, the way you two started going at it like that.” 

“What type of name is ‘Wuornos’ anyway?” Audrey pauses briefly and then her face lights up with recognition. “Hey, Aileen Wuornos! Was she related to you?” 

Nathan sighs. Some things clearly do not change. “It’s an old and pretty rare Finnish name. Aileen was probably a relative of some type but I haven’t done any actual family tree, ancestry stuff.” 

“Finnish? Really?” 

Nathan raises his eyebrow questioningly. “Why, is there something odd about that?” 

“No. Just don’t run into Finns that much.” 

“0,2% percent of American identify as Finnish American.” 

“Really? Huh. Live and learn. Do you have any weird traditions? Have you ever been to Finland?” 

”Garland Wuornos could not care less about this type of stuff. I didn’t really get into heritage stuff until my 20s and even so only a little. I haven’t really traveled much to be honest. Outside the USA, anyway.” Nathan sighs again. Audrey has travelled all over the US, possibly even left the country, when Nathan has barely ever left Maine. Another unsuccessful meeting. Well, at least Audrey is probably leaving Haven soon and she probably won’t even remember Nathan in a month. 

*** 

After Garland is buried and Nathan has to accept himself as an orphan, his heritage related issues come to the surface. He quite liked being Finnish. He likes his name, even though the expectations that come with the name Wuornos sometimes felt overwhelming. But it gave him a connection to something beyond Haven, beyond Garland and now it might be broken. He doesn’t remember hearing of other Hansens besides Max in Haven. He wonders if he should try to look for them. He doesn’t know whether they’d be Finns. He doesn’t know if he really wants anything to do with any Hansens he might find. None of them has tried to contact him in over 30 years, no one has shown interest at helping him manage their Trouble. He doubts he would have wanted anything to do with Max Hansen even if he hadn’t died. He doesn’t want to know how many of his nightmares turn out to be real. Garland Wuornos was not a perfect man or father, but he raised Nathan the best he could. Maybe he even loved Nathan. Whatever the case might be, Nathan did love Garland and he wants to keep the Wuornos name. Maybe it wasn’t his by birth but it grew into him. It’s his.


End file.
